Fashion leader Yves Saint Laurent dies

PARIS, June 1 (UPI) -- Algerian-born fashion giant Yves Saint Laurent, who championed the pantsuit for women, died Sunday in Paris, officials said. He was 71.

The Pierre-Berge-Saint Laurent Foundation, which announced his death, did not disclose a cause of death, The International Herald Tribune reported.

Saint Laurent took the fashion world by storm in 1958 when, at age 21, he broke out as the successor to designer Christian Dior. Besides the pantsuit, he also popularized peacoats, safari jackets, trench coats, leopard prints, chic beatnik and peasant-inspired lines, the newspaper said.

He opened his own fashion house in 1962 and his stunning evening wear was sought by the rich and famous -- such as Catherine Deneuve, Paloma Picasso, Lauren Bacall, and Marie-Helene de Rothschild.

While he once said he put "all my dreams" and "everything I love" into his "rich peasant" collection of 1976, Saint Laurent also said his role as a couturier was to "make clothes that reflect our times."

"I'm convinced women want to wear pants," he said.

Saint Laurent was born in Oran, Algeria, to a father who was a wealthy lawyer and insurance broker and a mother who expressed her own flair for style, the Herald Tribune reported. A quiet child, he eschewed following his father into the practice of law, instead finding himself drawn to designing clothes, first for his mother.

United Press International is a leading provider of news, photos and information to millions of readers around the globe via UPI.com and its licensing services.

With a history of reliable reporting dating back to 1907, today’s UPI is a credible source for the most important stories of the day, continually updated - a one-stop site for U.S. and world news, as well as entertainment, trends, science, health and stunning photography. UPI also provides insightful reports on key topics of geopolitical importance, including energy and security.

A Spanish version of the site reaches millions of readers in Latin America and beyond.

UPI was founded in 1907 by E.W. Scripps as the United Press (UP). It became known as UPI when after a merger with the International News Service in 1958, which was founded in 1909 by William Randolph Hearst. Today, UPI is owned by News World Communications.